TOKYO: Tokyo stocks fell 0.52 percent on Wednesday morning, tracking falls on Wall Street and another drop on China’s main index as weak trade data hinted at the fragility of Japan’s recovery.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange slid 105.97 points to 20,448.50 yen by the break, while the Topix index of all first-section shares lost 0.41 percent, or 6.86 points, to 1,665.36.
Shortly before the opening bell, official data for July pointed to weakness in Japanese exports as demand falls in major market China, fuelling concerns about the world’s number three economy, which contracted in the second quarter.
Tokyo also picked up a weak lead from Wall Street where the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.19 percent following a mixed batch of earnings from retailers including Wal-Mart.
Investors remain jittery about China after the benchmark Shanghai index tumbled 6.15 percent on Tuesday, its biggest fall in three weeks. It fell more than five percent in Wednesday morning trade.
